God hates us all

he doesn't hate you but he wishes you'd brush your teeth once in a while

carrots

So I find a bass that was stolen from me for sale on ebay. Same bass in the same case w/ the same strap, the same knob missing, and the screws still missing from the truss rod cover.

I call the cops about it and they tell me there is no cerial number listed in the police report, even though I specifically remember including that one in the report. (not too surprising. they also show that the incident happened a few months late)

I was depending on the # being included in that report, because I have no other proof that the bass was ever mine. I purchased the bass off of ebay myself, and as far as i can tell they don't keep records past 60 days. My bank records don't contain enough information, and finding the cerial number written down won't help me at this point.

I plan on contacting the seller, who i would doubt is the thief.
Any pointers?

Let this be a lesson. Alway always ALWAYS get a copy of the incident report after you fill it out. I had that problem after my car was stolen. It was found parked illeagally, so it had a ticket. It took me longer than the 30 day grace period to get a copy of the report sent to me by the police department. What I was told by a nice officer that I talked to was to get a copy of the report AS IT'S BEING FILLED OUT. That way you have a verified copy that you can give to the cops at a later date.

Also, I don't know if you can do this in your area, but you can register a guitar or amp here. Go down to the local police station, and ask. They gave me a form to fill out (plus a bill for $25), with a description, my address, phone, and most importantly, serial number. That way if it does get stolen, even if I DON'T have the report with me, or if the report is incomplete (in your case) I can still get my bass back.

I don't think the person you are calling God has anything to do with this. You got screwed by the person who stole your bass. Now, you screwed yourself by not getting a verified copy of the incident/police report.

yeah digital pics of the serial #'s of all your stuff is a very good idea, as are pix of you in another serial # shot. at the very least i have all of mine recorded, but i borrowed a camera and took the shots last year.